Ober Gatlinburg Trip Report

* If you drive up their access road (very steep and windy (hairpin) turns)

Admission for less daring: $6.00 (for two $3.00 cable car rides on their
Aerial Tram to get from the street up to the park up on the mountain)

Description: Not so much as an amusement park, as a activity center.

Features:

Ice Skating ($5)

Skiing (in season) (I don't know how much)

Kiddie Rides ($1.00 each / plus $1.00 to enter rides area)

Bungee Jumping ($50)

Trampoline Thing (what's the point of this) $5

Bungee Run (How far can you run before the bungee cord whips you back) $3

Video Batting Cage (Real neat, Iv'e never seen anything like it, you are
batting at a projection screen that shows both the pitcher, with the ball
coming through a hole right where his hand would be, and also showing where
on the field your pitch went to (based on where and how hard it strikes the
screen) $3

Velcro Wall (put on Velcro suit, jump up and stick to the wall) $3

Chairlift to scenic overlook ( and bluegrass show) $3

Alpine Slide($3)

Video Arcade

Possible more.. (have to dig up that price guide they give you on your way
in)

Alpine Slide:

Description: An Alpine Slide is a simulated bobsled run down a slick concrete
trough that runs from a high point in the mountain back down to the park.
You ride it on a plastic? 1 person sled, and you have a brake lever in order
to slow down in the curves and helixes. I included this because it bears
a striking resemblance in concept to the Russian Mountains, the forerunner
of the Rollercoaster.

The Ride: First you give your 3 'activity tokens' to the chairlift operator
(yes the one that operates the chairlift to the scenic overlook), and tell
him you want the Alpine Slide. He will place your tokens in a separate ticket
can and radio ahead. About 3/4 of the way up the chairlift (after passing
an on-ride photo on the chairlift!) you will come to a wooden platform and
an operator. He asks you if you're there to ride the Alpine Slide, if so
he tells you to open the safety bar and jump out of the chair onto the wooden
platform (ouch!) You then have to get out of the way before your chair passes
over your head. You then go down a short walk, through a turnstile, to the
loading area, where you pick up a sled from the rack, and carry it over to
the top of the slide, where an attendant gives you riding instructions (i.e.
when and how to use the brake) and allows for proper spacing between riders.
You then slide down the trough at high speed around curves and helixes,
remembering to control your speed, as their are no up-stops and you might
go off--track, if you're not careful, a few minutes later you are at the
bottom where another attendant collects your sled.

Opinion: Fun ride, but overpriced ($6 to get there, plus $3 a ride, comes
out to $9 for the first ride and $3 for every ride thereafter) I would do
it again.